tidy

adjective

ti·dy | \ ˈtī-dē

tidier; tidiest

Definition of tidy

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : neat and orderly in appearance or habits : well ordered and cared for

b : methodical, precise a tidy mind

2 : large, substantial a tidy profit

3 : adequately satisfactory : acceptable, fair a tidy solution to their problem

4 : properly filled out : plump

tidy

verb

tidied; tidying

Definition of tidy (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to put in order tidy up a room

intransitive verb

: to make things tidy tidying up after supper

tidy

noun

plural tidies

Definition of tidy (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a usually compartmentalized receptacle for various small objects

2 : a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil

Other Words from tidy Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tidy

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Other Words from tidy

Adjective

tidily \ ˈtī-də-lē

\ adverb

tidiness \ ˈtī-dē-nəs

\ noun

Verb

tidier noun

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

Adjective

He has always been a tidy person. She earns a tidy salary. They paid a tidy sum for the house.

Verb

I tidied the house before they arrived.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Experienced Chicago-area real estate agents say that the out-of-synch buying patterns of both first-time buyers and last-time sellers are complicating the typically tidy real estate circle of dominoes. — Joanne Cleaver, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago housing market in flux: As baby boomers stay put, millennials struggle to find starter homes," 19 June 2019 That’s the concept, at least—the world isn’t quite so tidy. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Being a morning person might have some health advantages," 12 Nov. 2018 Books about psychotherapy can often seem suspiciously tidy. — Emily Bobrow, WSJ, "‘The Incurable Romantic’ Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply," 5 Oct. 2018 Thankfully, robot vacuums exist to keep things consistently tidy in between deeper cleanings. — Courtney Campbell, USA TODAY, "Here are the best deals on Amazon right now," 22 June 2018 Their whole breakup feels very tidy: Boy doesn't want kids, so wedding is called off. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "John Cena, “A Little Older,” Wants Kids Now," 5 June 2018 Hawley and a roster of other Republicans have called on the governor to resign, which might have offered a relatively tidy resolution. — Rebecca Berg, CNN, "Greitens scandal looms large in Missouri's Senate race -- and doesn't show signs of going away," 27 May 2018 Place shoes at eye level, and install a belt rack and a tie rack to make the closet even more tidy and accessible. — Nicky Cirone, ELLE Decor, "Closet Case," 5 July 2012 After a writing two bestsellers, launching a KonMari conference, filming a wildly popular Netflix show, and training her own organizers to tidy homes everywhere, Kondo is turning to another demographic: children. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Marie Kondo's New Book Sparks Joy For Kids," 23 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

On June 6th the Law Commission, which helps Parliament tidy up its legislation, published proposals to change it. — The Economist, "New proposals to regulate Britain’s surrogacy boom," 7 June 2019 Since her show debuted earlier this month, the pint-size clean queen has sparked a global effort in tidying up. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Thrift Stores And Flea Markets Are Seeing An Influx Due To Marie Kondo," 15 Jan. 2019 While attending Tokyo Women's Christian University to study sociology, her friends started to pay her to tidy up their rooms. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Marie Kondo's Massive Net Worth Proves That It Pays to Keep a Tidy House," 16 Jan. 2019 By contrast, this latest bit of research hammers the gas, forcing it, like a sulky teenager, to tidy away its qubits. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Rough-and-ready quantum memory may link disparate quantum systems," 9 Nov. 2018 The October 2018 Update tried to tidy up this situation. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Windows 10 October 2018 Update no longer deletes your data," 10 Oct. 2018 The robots will be tidying the aisles by January 31, 2019. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Walmart Buys Over 300 Aisle-Cleaning Robots," 6 Dec. 2018 So what would the best-selling author and tidying guru debut next? — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "Marie Kondo's Revolutionary New Product Is...a Shoebox," 24 July 2018 Years later, that same urge to tidy led to her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, which teaches readers to throw away items that don't bring them joy. — Kate Storey, Good Housekeeping, "Marie Kondo Reveals a Nervous Breakdown Led to Her Joy Method," 5 Jan. 2016

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The appeal of my WeWork space is fairly obvious: Someone else maintains the free coffee, waters the plants, and tidies up the sun dappled work spaces. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why WeWork Has to Pay Up for Rapid Growth," 25 Apr. 2018 The most popular affordable robot vacuum A good robot vacuum can help you keep your home tidy between deep cleanings, and the Eufy RoboVac 11+ is the #1 best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon right now. — Samantha Gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals for the first day of spring," 20 Mar. 2018 The truth escapes them that within a month, their designer efforts will be covered in old pizza boxes and dirty clothes exactly like the other rooms -- until mom shows up a day early for homecoming and tidies things up a bit. — Beth Thames, AL.com, "Oprah for president? She's served her country already," 10 Jan. 2018 YOUR PROPERTY TIDY Have the lawn mowed, the plants watered and the pool cleaned. — Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, "How to Protect Your House When You’re on Vacation," 14 July 2017 Buy Photo Erica Tunnell’s tidy row home in the Overbrook section of the city was swarmed Saturday by environmental activists, students and public health experts. — Chris Mondics, Philly.com, "Activists, community groups test for lead," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.